Post News Network
By Sagar
Bhubaneswar, Dec 13: After three hours of long deliberations, when the dignitaries on the stage finally invited questions from the audience, an undergraduate girl from Kendriya Vidyalaya rose and took the microphone.
“Why did you give law discipline a miss while talking about options available for higher education in various other fields in the US?” asked Subhalakshmi Mishra, a student who was attending a global conference on higher education opportunities in the US and Canada that was organised Saturday at Nalco Auditorium.
Mishra was among several other school students and faculties who attended the conference.
In response to Mishra’s question, Bidhu Bhusan Mohanty, Dean of Norfolk State University, USA, replied, “In America, you can’t study Indian law and get back home to practice. Each state of America has its own constitution, and to study one constitution you need to go to that particular state,” Mohanty said.
The symposium saw Oriya-origin entrepreneurs, faculties and academician addressing the gathering that included students and local faculties as well who wanted to know how to go about pursuing higher education in America.
The students heard with rapt attention the presentation on higher education in the US, given by Piya Bahadur, an employee of the US India Education Federation (USIEF), who described various step-wise procedures involved in applying for a course in the US. The USIEF is a central government-funded organisation that assists Indian students in pursuing higher education in the US.
“One must start 18 months in advance before applying for an undergraduate course in the US, and 24 months in advance for postgraduate courses. US selection process for allowing students to pursue education in its country is very holistic and is not done based on just good grades. One should carefully draft their essays and statements of purpose and should possess recommendation letters from people with whom they have worked,” Bahadur told the students.
Sharing his experience of how he made a successful career for himself in the US, Sitakantha Dash, chairman of UAS Laboratories, a probiotic firm in Minneapolis, said anybody could emulate his success. “If I did it, you can too. Higher education needs collaboration of various industries which can invest money in it,” Dash said.
Dash has been funding the education of 10 students from India every year. He has also started a scheme called Incubator at IIT Bhubaneswar and KIIT wherein the best 10 students are sent to the US for higher studies.
The conference was earlier inaugurated by MLA Priyadarshi Mishra and MP Prasanna Patasani, which was organised by the Orissa Society of the Americas. “I will have a discussion with non-resident Oriyas here to explore opportunities for signing MoUs with more varsities across the world,” Mishra said.
During the event, higher secondary topper Sonuja Panda was awarded with `50,000 cash prize, while Subhashree Nayak from Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir, Puri and Pushpanjali Sahoo from Keonjhar shared second prize of Rs 30,000. Third prize of Rs 10,000 each went to Soumyashree Priyadarshi, Kruthidipto Barik and Kunmun Senapati, all from Cuttack.
